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"Winter Soul," by photographer and Art Squared featured artist of the month Andy Heatwole. Photos courtesy of Arts Squared

Santa visits Art Squared

Friday, December 7, 2018

The holiday season is here, and to help celebrate, the Arts Squared Arts Market will have a special guest this month – Santa Claus! Although Ol’ Saint Nick has a busy schedule, he has promised to be at Art Squared on Saturday from 12-2 p.m. inside the Hays County Courthouse.

Santa’s visit is provided by the San Marcos Art League, in partnership with the Main Street Program, the San Marcos Public Library and the Heritage Association of San Marcos. The library will also host a holiday-themed puppet show, “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” inside the Courthouse during the market.  

The month’s Art Squared will feature local and regional artists exhibiting and selling their original handmade work, perfect for the gift-giving season. 

Each month Art Squared highlights a local non-profit organization that provides important services and/or information to residents. December’s featured organization, the Hays County Food Bank, is passionately committed to improving lives through food assistance programs, nutrition education and advocacy. 

Over 25,000 people residing within Hays County who face food insecurity. The Hays County Food Bank provides an integral service in the fight against hunger by offering individuals and families a resource for food sustainability.

Formed in 1984 to feed hungry people in the community, the Hays County Food Bank is a charitable, nonprofit organization which partners with a variety of agencies in order to serve local community members who are in need. They provide assistance to elderly people living on fixed incomes, working and low-income families, individuals with medical or physical disabilities, homeless and transient people, and Individuals and families experiencing a temporary emergency.

This month’s featured artist is talented photographer and San Marcos native Andy Heatwole. 

"Electric Spring" by Andy Heatwole

Heatwole got his first camera when he was 18 and is primarily self-taught. In 2013, after several years of running a commercial photography business, Heatwole felt a strong need to reconnect with his first photographic loves – nature and landscapes. He focused his efforts locally, wanting to capture and locations that are familiar to many San Marcans, but in unique ways that convey their essence and an individual connection to them. In the process of this exploration, he rediscovered the beauty of his hometown and his business San Marcos Photos was born.

Heatwole said nature has always been his greatest inspiration. 

“I love exploring the outdoors and experiencing it through the senses and the lens. For me, photography is as much about the experience as it is the picture,” Heatwole said. “It's why I'm compelled to get out of my nice warm bed before dawn on a cold winter morning or stand in the face of an oncoming storm with my camera when everyone else is running for shelter. I revel in those situations and enjoy the challenge of conveying them in visual form.”

Andy notes that he is also inspired by other photographers. “Thanks to online platforms like Instagram, I’m able to connect with photographers around the world who share the same passion and express their own unique vision. They inspire me to see the world differently and challenge me to evolve and grow. A thriving art community brings us all closer together; art can be a great unifier, speaking to us in a universal language, and creating bonds between people who, on the surface, may seem to have little in common. I’ve made great friends, both artists and fans, that I never would have met otherwise.”

Art Squared takes place every second Saturday of the month from March through December from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Art Squared Arts Market is sponsored by the San Marcos Art League and is funded through memberships, donations and the San Marcos Arts Commission. The Art League’s goal is to create a successful, community-minded event that heightens awareness of the arts in San Marcos.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666